The Republican journal., 1887-04-28

day FEB. u. 1881, and now published III pampE-
let form. The author says in his preface:
The facts given in the following address have
been held for many years, until there should be
such general demand for them that they
would receive Il willing and an unprejudiceu
ear, and an appreciation in accordance with
their merits Portions of this history have
been contributed by this author to the ''Mental
Healing Monthly" of Boston, in nearly the
same words as here given; and also, some por-
tions To the ''Chris;an Mctaphysician,' of
Chicago. But this pamphlet includes extracts
from the unpublished manuscripts of =. p.
tluiAiby, which appear in no other publica-
ton.
THE FACTS CONCERNING TIE DISCOVERY OF
MENTAL. HEALING.
The foundation principles of what we now
term Mental Science are shown by history to
have been largely understood by the philoso-
pliers of all ages. The philosophy of Plato, who
touri>hed four hundred years before Christ,
was essentially one of ilea>m; and the same
idcalstc theory is found in different forms of
expression set forth by leading thinkers of sue
cVtdin. generations. notably by SpinoZa. and
by Bishop Berkeley, in the seventeeth century
But while they mainly agreed that all reality is
III the realms of spirit, of which what we see
is only an cinanation of manifestation. they all
failed to apply their views to the healing of
disease. OF those who had this understanding
previous to our time, only Jesus and his dis
cipe> applied il to relieving human ills; all
Others devoted their teachings simply to inodi-
flying and forming character.
Coming down to this nineteenth century. we
find Ralph Waldo Emcrson> writings Tiled
and rermcate,l with the ealistic theory. and
running over with the belief of an omniprcSent
Goodness Is the substance of ALI things. with
here aid there a hint that the SG-called Ellis
that lie>h is heir to- may be cradcated AS cr-
ror> when held mp TO The light Of truth, the
same a> can moral evils But the first person in
this are WHO penetrated the depths of truth 50
far is 10 discover and bring forth true science
Of llfc and openly apply ii to the healing of
the sick. was Phincas Parklnr>t Quimby. of
Belfast. Me. am well aware that with some
people this is Il disputed point. they respecting
the claims of certain others: but ! have been
requested. by many persons interested in this
history. to -ay what know about it. and be-
HeNin- t!iat the time has come to do 50. | shall
now @i|" YOU a series of facts. and you can
judge OF them Tor yourselves.
The first that knew of +. 7. Quimhy was
in June. 1850. when went to him asa patient.
years hefore his death He bad then. 1850.
been i'll tie regular practice of mental healing
for many wears. in different towns in Maine
and had been located in Portland about two
years. There was at that time, !SGo. no one
else in the practice in New England. nor in this
known. or has since hcen heard Of nor was
there at that time any one else who understood
i rs Il sricnce, he having been the tiscovercr
and founder. As | think shall show you. lie
irl then, 1850. been at work twenty Years in
this field of investigation and discovery and ul-
til!iatc practice. which carries his first invcSti
cations back 10 the year 1910.
The question may bc asked. "Wa> Quimby
ever Il mcslntri>t:' reply that he was. for
limited time and for purposes of experiment
and investigation. The truth came TO him. not
rs Il revelation pure and simple but Is the re-
suit Of practical experiment and patient re-
search among the phenomena of life, urged on
by the impulses Of an active, inIuirn@. COM
prchen>ive mind. | have seen extracts from
newspapers As far back as 1928. giving
counts of his public exhibitions of me>mer>m,
i'll some of which newspaper accounts he was
rated with Il few others in this country and
Europe who were the leading mcsmcriZerS in
the world. DIR. Qulmby had been watch and
clock maker for some years. when mc>mcriSm
attracted his attention.
The subject of meSmcri>ln was first introduc-
cI into this country by Mr.. Charles Povan. a
French @entcman in the year 1886. 4 few
wears later. certain DIR. Colycr iectured upon
il III New England and elsewhere. In 1910, T..
=. Quimby commenced Experimenting with it.
although this did not furnish him bis first les
son in the truth he afterwards developed, as
have seen from accounts of his earlier expert
en@c>. From newspaper account of one Of
his public exhibitions of me>mcri>m in Belfast
Me-. dated April -. 1913, | make this cN-
tract =
before we proceed to describe the eNpcri-
ment> uhe newspaper says. 1--WE will say
that Mr.. Quimby is a gentleman, in size rather
smaller than the medium of man, with Il we'll
proportioEcd aud well-baIanccd chronological
head. and with the power of concentration
>urpa>>in" anything we have ever witnessed.
His eyes are black and very piercing. with rath-
.,,,f.
power of looking at one object without even
Wlnkln". Tor a great length of time
In his meSmerlc experiments, as reported in
the Maine papers in those Wears Ion" ago.
Quiinby is shown to have progressed gradually
pHt of mc>mcri>m, into Il knowledge of the
hidden powers OF mind: and he soon found in
man principle. or a power. that was not of
man himself. but was higher than man. and of
which he could only he medium Its clarac-
ter was goodness and intelligence: and its DOW
er WAS great lie also found that disease was
nothing but an erroneous belief of mind. Here
was a discovery of truth, and on this discovery
he founded system of treating the sick and
founded a science of life. A. Il better testj-
nony than my own on these points, Will here
introduce an extract from letter | received
from his son. Geo. \. Quimby, of Belfast. Me-,
in reply to one in which wrote for certain
data relating to his father. Speaking Of his
father, the son wrote as folloWs:--
''Some time in 1910 he became deeply inter-
e>tcd i'll mesmeri>m, and for quite a number of
years. i'll connection with his other business,
he gave exhibitions with Il clairvoyant subject
through the State of Maine, and also treated
disease. using his meSmeric power. rs it was
termed then. This method he kept up. but
gradually working ont OF the mesmerc idea,
INTO Il train Of reasoning of his own. which he
applied to the patient, till finally he gave up
putting the patient to sleep mesmcrically. and
followed the mode of treatment which he
ted III In hn inn nf u
death, which treatment, in his own words, was
this -
''Ilc says. NY practice is unlike all medical
practice. l give no medicine. and make no
outward applications. | tell the patient his
troubles. and what he thinks is his disease,
and my explanation is the cure. If | succeed
in correcting his errors. change the fluids of
the system and establish tie tluM nr heuith.
Yhe trnh is lie c"re. This mode of practice
applies to all cases."
These are DIR. Quimby'> own words. and any
one can see that they mean purely mental
treatment, for he speaks of what the patient
thinks is the disease and calls it his error bv
saying that if he succeeds in correcting the pa
ten's errors, he then establishes the truth. and
the truh Is Tie cuf~. You see from this that
he had discovered that diseases was an error of
mind. and nothing else, and the God-poWer of
truth which he had discovered in man. being
set up again il, the victim of disease. DESTROYED,
the error or disease, and re-established the
harmony.
This discovery, you observe. was not made
from the Bible, but from mental phenomena
ana searching Investigations; and after the
| truth was discovered, he found his new views
all portrayed and illustrated in Christ's teach.
in@s and works. If you think this seems to
show that Quimby was a remarkable man, let
| me tell you that he was one of the most llnas.
>uming Of men that ever lived, for no one
could well be more so. nor make less account
of his own achievements. Humility was ::
| marked feature of his character I knew him
| Intimately To this was united benevolent
| and an un>eliiSh nature, and a love of truth
| with a remarkably keen perception. But the
| distinguishing feature of his mind was that
| he could not entertain an opinion. because i,
| was not knowledge. His faculties were SC
! practical and perccptivc that the wisdom OF
mankind. which is largely made up of opinions
was of little Use to him, hence the charge thai
| he was rot an educated man is literally true
| True knowledge to him was pnsUire prO0f, Il,
| in problem OF mathematics, therefore liz
discarded books and sought phenomena. where
| his perceptive faculties made him master of the
| situation. Therefore, he got from his expert
| lcents in mcsineriSm what other men did no
| get, Il Stepping-stOnc to Il hg her knowledge
| than man possessed, and Il new range to men
| tai vision. lie wrote out his discoveries Al
great length, and from these yet unpublished
writings. now in the possession of his son, be
fore referred to, am privileged to incorporat,
in this lecture the following article, which wa
written in the year 1868. and thus allow Quinn
| by to tell an important part of his own story
| These are his Words
| my CONVERSION FROM DISEASE TO HEALTH
| AND THE SUBSEQUENT CHANGE FROM BELIEF
| IN THE MEDICAL FACULTY TO ENTIRE DISBE
| LIEF IN IT, AND TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF TIL
TRUTH ON WHICH BASE MY THEORY"